


Belated Christmas

by Hezikiah



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Christmas, Friendship, Loneliness, Rescue Missions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-24
Updated: 2013-12-24
Packaged: 2019-01-23 06:27:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12500928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hezikiah/pseuds/Hezikiah
Summary: Captain Jack finds himself giving the Doctor a very belated and unexpected Christmas present.





	Belated Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> This was my Christmas 2013 fic for my LJ friends.

“I'll be home for Christmas. You can count on me...” Captain Jack sang under his breath as he strolled down the street of a run-of-the mill planet at the fringes of a nondescript galaxy somewhere. It wasn't Christmas on this world, but Jack somehow knew it was back on earth sometime in the distant past. Images of colored lights and sparkling golden stars on Christmas trees flickered through his mind. Christmas had been his favorite time of year back when he worked for Torchwood. A memory bubbled up from nowhere of Gwen, Ianto, Owen, and Tosh laughing as they tried to fit an enormous Christmas tree through the main entrance of the Hub. He grinned at the memory even as his heart sank in sadness at the thought of friends long gone.

Jack resolved to spend the evening thinking about his friends and drinking himself into oblivion. He didn't want to be alone, but he didn't know anyone on this world and he'd rather spend it with the ghosts of his friends in a bar somewhere than alone in his hotel room. Just as Jack spotted a promising looking watering hole, he heard the last sound he'd ever expected to hear again: the sound of the TARDIS materializing.

He turned around and watched as the familiar old blue box appeared, the vortex winds ruffling his hair and sending his blue wool overcoat flapping about his knees. The ship solidified and the door creaked open. Jack grinned as the Tenth Doctor stuck his head out and waved. “Doctor?!” Jack called, breaking into a run. “What are you doing here?”

The Doctor looked off into in the distance for a second and then broke into a smile of his own before answering. “It's Christmas and I'm traveling alone. Thought I could use some company. And did you know that you are one hard man to track down, Captain?”

“A hard man is always good to find,” Jack quipped.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. “I can see you're in fine form tonight.”

“I'm always in fine form.” Jack wiggled his eyebrows as he looked the Time Lord up and down. “And so are you, if I may say so.”

“Down boy,” the Doctor muttered. “Can you please just rein it in for once? I'd rather not spend my evening fielding come-ons by the captain of the flirting squad.”

“Heard and accepted.” Jack fired off a mock-salute. “I'll be a good boy, Doctor. So, what did you have in mind for celebrating Christmas?”

The Doctor shrugged and stepped aside so Jack could enter the TARDIS. “Come on in and I'll try to sort out something for supper.”

The captain followed the Doctor inside and shut the door behind him. The Doctor led him to the TARDIS kitchen. Jack's jaw hit the floor when he entered the room and saw the spread on the table. A traditional turkey Christmas dinner complete with crackers lay before him. Jack turned to look at the Doctor who was grinning at him from ear to ear. “This is how you 'sort out' supper?”

The Doctor folded his hands behind his back and bounced on his toes. “Didn't know I could cook, did you? Well, actually, if I'm honest...the TARDIS did all this. Except the crackers. I picked those up in Marks and Spencer. Have a seat and let's get started.”

The two friends sat down and pulled their crackers. Both of their paper crowns were dark blue and they laughed at how silly the other looked. Jack dug around and found his Christmas joke. “Why did Santa's helper go to the doctor?”

“No idea, Jack.”

“Because he had low elf esteem.”

The Doctor groaned and tortured Jack with his own joke. “What do you get if you eat Christmas decorations?”

“What?”

“Tinsilitis.”

“Oh, that's bad.” Jack picked up his fork. “Now pass the turkey, Doc! I'm starving.”

They ate together, catching up on each others' adventures as much as they were willing to reveal. After the meal, the Doctor produced a beautiful Christmas pudding for dessert, which he lit on fire and nearly singed his own hair in the process, much to Jack's amusement. At the Doctor's suggestion, they retired to the lounge. A cheery fire burned in the grate and Jack was surprised to see a small Christmas tree sitting on a side table. A bright blue TARDIS topped the tree instead of a star. The ornaments were tiny and made of silver. Jack moved closer to examine them and his breath caught in his throat when he spotted the faces of Rose, Martha, Sarah Jane, Mickey, Donna, and himself in six separate ornaments. He picked up Rose's ornament and turned it over to reveal minute, swirling Gallifreyan script on the back. Jack couldn't read it, but he knew that it was her name. He replaced the ornament and noticed there were lots of them on the tree, one for each of the Doctor's companions.

“That was my present to myself this year,” the Doctor's voice was solemn. “Christmas is a time for celebration, but it's also a time for remembrance. I didn't want to be alone and now I'm not. I've got my friends with me, in a way.”

Jack didn't know what to say to the lonely Time Lord, so he just sat down. The Doctor pulled a bottle of brandy from a cabinet and poured them each a heavy belt into snifters. Jack accepted his from the Doctor. “Didn't think you were a drinking man, Doc.”

“I don't usually indulge, no, but I'll raise a glass on the odd occasion.”

“Well, there's nobody odder than us, is there? Who should we toast tonight?”

The Doctor paused and then raised his glass. “To friends we've known and friends yet to come.” Jack repeated the Doctor and they clinked glasses. “Happy Christmas, Captain.”

“Happy Christmas, Doctor.”

They drank in companionable silence for several long moments before Jack smirked. “It must feel good to have a nice, quiet Christmas for once. No robot Santas, no Sycorax, no Racnoss, no Titanic crashing.” The Doctor snorted in laughter into his drink. Jack couldn't tell if it was meant to be a sarcastic laugh or not. “Are your Christmases always that exciting?”

The Doctor shook his head. “No, not really. The last few years have been something of a fluke, I think.” He paused and shrugged. “There was one Christmas that's always been rather strange to me.”

“How do you mean?”

“I mean a mystery, Jack.” The Doctor took a swig of his brandy. “Something unexplainable happened and I've spent centuries and three incarnations trying to solve it.”

Jack laughed. “Something that's stumped the Doctor? This I have to hear.”

The Doctor scowled for a brief moment. “I'm not Sherlock Holmes. I think even this mystery would confuse the venerable detective.” He swirled his brandy around in his glass before continuing. “It was during my Eighth incarnation. I had a companion from the mid-21st century named Mariah Liffey, but she went by Riah.” The Doctor smiled in memory. “Jack, you would have loved her. Funny, smart, and could sass her way out of just about any situation. She drove me bonkers.” He reached over to the Christmas tree and searched amongst the ornaments, finally pulling one off and handing it to Jack. “There she is.”

“Isn't that the usual situation? Your companions driving you batty?”

“You'd know, Captain.”

“Hey now!” Jack studied the portrait of Riah. She was very pretty with dark, curly brown hair and big blue eyes. The smile on her face was somewhere between a smirk and a leer. Her blue eyes danced with amusement and Jack found himself wishing that he could have gotten to know her. “What happened to her?”

“Lived out her life on earth after I took her back. She was only with me for about six months. Riah fell pregnant on our travels and obviously asked me to take her home. My lifestyle is not conducive to raising children, as I'm sure you can imagine. It was Christmas back on earth and she asked me to take her on one last shopping trip to buy presents for her family before returning. I agreed and took her to Plenitos Three.”

“Ooh, nice! Biggest shopping center in the galaxy!”

“Yep! Unfortunately, we went when old King Umial was dying from a rare immune system disorder. He required frequent transfusions of blood and bone marrow on a scale that his donors often got sick and some even died. The Plenitos government made donation compulsory if you were a match. I didn't know that DNA scanners had been installed in the shopping center to scan all visitors and residents alike. Riah was the perfect match and they seized her right after we came out of a store.”

“Oh no.”

“I tried everything to stop them, Jack. I went to the highest authorities and informed them of her pregnancy, but they didn't care. They were willing to sacrifice two lives for the life of one selfish, dying octogenarian king. I wasn't. The only reason they delayed the procedure was because I'm a Time Lord. This was the early days of the Time War, before I got involved, but the Time Lords' powers were notorious and the government didn't want me contacting Gallifrey and alerting them.”

“So what happened?”

“I negotiated, I pleaded, I haggled for hours for Riah's release. They seem determined to go ahead and they wouldn't even let me see her. I rushed back to the TARDIS to contact the High Council to ask for help, I was that desperate. You didn't know me in the old days, Jack. I tried to stay away from the other Time Lords as much as possible. When I got back to the ship, I discovered Riah safe and sound in her bed.”

Jack blinked in surprise. “What? How?”

The Doctor shrugged. “That's the mystery.”

“She didn't remember how she got there?”

“No. She said one moment she was in the hospital when a stranger appeared. The next moment, he was carrying her into the TARDIS and putting her to bed. He refused to tell her his name, only telling her that he was a friend of mine. Riah had caused some havoc at the hospital, it seems, and they'd drugged her. Her recollection of the man wasn't very clear.”

“That's really weird. Do you have any idea who it could have been?”

“I have my ideas, but there's no proof. You know as well as I do that practically no one can get into the TARDIS. The man gained access with Riah's TARDIS key, so whoever it was knew about the key.”

“What about surveillance? Doesn't the TARDIS have a CCTV system?”

“Of sorts, yes. But it was malfunctioning and the security protocols on the ship had been overridden. Only a Time Lord or someone with intimate knowledge of the TARDIS' operating system could have done that. That's what irritates me the most...the fact that someone managed to break into my ship and waltz on in as if they owned the place.”

“Huh,” Jack grunted before taking a swig of brandy.

“That's not all. I had bought the baby a blanket that was made on Gallifrey as a gift. Riah had it in her bag when she was captured and the stranger who rescued her took pains to return her possessions, but the blanket was gone. I suppose one of the members of the hospital staff stole it. It's a shame because it was beautiful. Orange-red as the skies back home on one side and gold on the other. Such a blanket is a traditional gift amongst my people when a baby is born.”

Jack had the good taste not to ask who the baby's father was. It really wasn't any of his business, but he still found himself raising an eyebrow anyway and wondering...no, it couldn't be. He knew the Doctor didn't have intimate relations with his companions. At least...this Doctor didn't. Jack couldn't speak for anything before the Ninth. He yawned, the meal and the brandy making him feel sleepy.

The Doctor stood and clasped his hands his together behind his back. “Anyway, you're tired, Jack. Why don't you stay here for the night? I'm sure your old room is around here somewhere.”

Jack's lodgings were only a few steps out the TARDIS doors, but he liked the idea of spending the night on the TARDIS. “Yeah, ok. Thanks, Doctor.”

“Not a problem. Sleep well, Jack.”

“Good night.”

Jack found his room after only a few minutes. Everything was just as he'd left it years ago, including his leather vests and fitted t-shirts in the wardrobe. He smiled to himself as he fingered his old clothing. That life felt like a million years ago to him, before Torchwood, before all of this. God, he had been so young. Being a time traveler certainly messed up your sense of perception. He dropped his overcoat onto a chair, removed most of his clothing, and dropped into bed. It wasn't long before he was snoring away in a deep sleep.

****************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Jack awoke suddenly to a strange chiming sound. He'd never heard it before, but it was coming from his old work station. It was high pitched and insistent, making him grit his teeth in irritation and the hair on the back of his neck to stick straight out. “What the hell?” he mumbled as he stumbled from the bed to his desk.

The built-in computer had turned itself on. Jack could count on one hand how many times he'd used the thing. For one, the default language was Gallifreyan and the TARDIS could be crotchety about switching to English if she didn't feel like it. She usually didn't. The computer station looked similar to a modern laptop and it displayed a single message against a dark blue swirling background. Jack rubbed his eyes and read it. “Hello, Captain. You're still Wrong.”

“Who the heck am I talking to?” The chiming sound ceased as soon as he started speaking.

“Silly man. Who do you think it is?”

“Doctor?”

He felt a weird tickle around him, as if the very air molecules were vibrating. A strange sense of amusement crept into the back of his mind. “No, I'm not Thief! For being immortal, you can be so daft.”

“Wait...am I speaking to the TARDIS?!”

“Correct.”

Jack thought he must be dreaming. “But you don't talk to anyone, not even the Doctor.”

“That's because I have nothing to say, unless it's important and this is. The time has come and I need you to use your inferior little wrist device to save Mariah Liffey.”

“Wait...huh?”

He could almost feel the TARDIS rolling her nonexistent eyes. “Captain, wake up! Thief told you the story earlier this evening. The stranger is _you.”_

“ME?!” Jack scratched his head. “Well, I guess that explains a lot.” He winked at the computer screen. “So I save Riah? Well sure, hon. Anything for the Doctor.”

He felt the air bristle again. “Thief was right about you when he said 'anything that moves.'”

Jack wiggled his eyebrows. “Even through time and space, baby.”

“Focus please, Captain! I'm transmitting the coordinates to your little toy so that you can find her and take her to me in the past. I won't want to let you in...I hardly want to let you in _now,_ but you've proved loyal to me and Thief, even if you're Wrong.” Over on the dresser, the captain heard his Vortex Manipulator beep as it received incoming data. “You can get in with Mariah's key, but that won't be enough. I'm designed to keep out intruders and you'll have to override and disable my monitoring system to maintain your timeline. My Thief's eighth body cannot know about you yet. The disabling code has been programmed into your device as well.”

“So...back in time to save a companion and the Doctor can't know about it. Gotcha.” Jack felt a sense of anticipation, one he hadn't felt in a long time. He'd been too idle lately and knew he was craving an adventure. “Do you think he'd care if I borrowed the psychic paper? I'm going to need a way into that hospital if I'm going to bust Riah out.”

“In his jacket pocket in the lounge. Put it back when you're done. Now go!”

“Right.” Jack got dressed in a hurry, strapped on his Vortex Manipulator, and raced back to the lounge. The Doctor was passed out on the sofa and his jacket was slung over the back of a deep leather chair. Jack rummaged around in the pockets as quietly as possible until he found the psychic paper and slipped it into his own pocket. He stopped off in the wardrobe to grab what he hoped was a decent disguise.

Jack left the ship and activated the manipulator. In an instant, he was in the past on Plenitos Three. The old TARDIS stood behind him, this one looking even more battered and bruised with scorch marks on the side. “You could use a coat of paint or two,” Jack commented, patting the ship on the side before looking around. Jack had been to Plenitos several times before. The shopping continent covered two-thirds of the planet, but was well organized into different colored districts. He was standing in a side alley in the Red District. Jack thought hard for a second and then took off running down the alley. He found an information kiosk and located the closest hospital, which wasn't too far away.

He slipped on the white lab coat that he'd snagged from the wardrobe and strolled in to the hospital as if he belonged there. A security station was set up past the little shop in the corner and Jack flashed the psychic paper as he approached. The security guard blinked in surprise. “The Royal Physician? Yes, yes of course, Doctor Yanez. We were expecting you. Your patient is on the third floor.”

“Thanks!” Jack flashed the security guard a dashing grin. He thought about suggesting that they get together to play “doctor” later, but remembered that would be out of character. He headed up the elevator and found himself in a ward designated for high security patients. No wonder they wouldn't let the Doctor up. Jack stopped at the nurses station and introduced himself. The nurses also seemed to be expecting him and one of them led him down the hall. “Your patient's almost ready. I'm going to warn you, doctor. She's already broken one nurses' nose and gave an orderly a concussion. Threw a chair at him.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. The Doctor hadn't been kidding when he'd called Riah sassy. “I'm sure I can handle her.”

“Oh, you won't have to. We've partially sedated her in anticipation for your arrival. She shouldn't pose too much of a problem.” The nurse frowned. “It took four orderlies to hold her down. It's a pity that none of our native Plenitonians couldn't serve as donor. Any of us would willingly give our lives for the king. Off-world donors only prove to be a nuisance.”

He resisted slapping the nurse silly and kept his composure. “Where is the patient's friend? I heard she had an...uh...associate that objected to her being a donor.”

The nurse laughed in derision. “The Time Lord? He's creating a ruckus down at the capitol building. Doesn't matter. The transfusion procedure will be done in less than hour.” She stopped outside a door with a small window in it and pushed it open. “Here's the surgery.”

Jack stepped into the cold, sterile room and saw a woman strapped down on her back to an operating table. He recognized her from the picture as Riah and he crossed the room to have a closer look at her. From the gentle swell of her tummy, Jack guessed she was maybe sixteen weeks pregnant. Rhia was conscious, but just barely. Her red-rimmed blue eyes were open, but unfocused and Jack could tell she'd been crying. Leads, wires, and tubes attached to her body led to a forest of machinery around her. They'd shoved her into a loose white hospital gown, but Jack could see her belongings and clothes stacked on a table nearby. He held back his anger, focusing instead on a plan to get her out.

The door closed behind him and a short, bald-headed doctor approached Jack, holding out his hand. “Doctor Yanez, it's an honor to meet you. I'm Doctor Bekkles. It's not often that we get the Royal Physician to visit our esteemed institution. Shall we proceed?”

Riah heard his words and tugged at the thick restraints fastened around her wrists and ankles. Jack heard her moan, “No.”

He glanced at her and frowned. “The patient seems rather distraught, Dr. Bekkles. We should sedate her first, don't you think?”

“Of course. Pity about her child, but you know the law. It can't be helped. ”

_Oh yes it can,_ thought Jack. He watched Dr. Bekkles pick up a syringe and reach for an IV port in Riah's hand. “Wait.”

Dr. Bekkles turned to look at him in confusion and Jack held out his hand. “I'd like to do this, if you don't mind.”

The little man shrugged and handed the syringe to Jack. “Who am I to deny the royal physician?”

Jack popped the cap off the syringe and in one lightning-fast move, jabbed it down into Dr. Bekkles' arm and pushed the plunger. The doctor cried out in shock before losing consciousness and Jack caught him before he hit his head on the edge of the operating table. “Nighty night,” he quipped as he eased Dr. Bekkles to the floor. He stepped over the doctor's body and locked the door to the surgery before approaching Riah. He smiled down at her. “Hi, Riah. Let's get you home, what do you say?”

Riah looked up into Jack's face. He could see the fight still in blazing in her exhausted eyes and she licked her dry lips once before spitting out, “Lying.”

Jack smirked. “Nope, sorry. I'm not lying to you.” He started detaching her from the machines. “Sheesh, they've got you wired up like a Denusian hot rod here.”

His actions seemed to confuse her already drug-addled brain. She tugged at the restraints again and Jack paused for a moment to look her in the eyes again. “Riah, sweetheart, stop. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you or the baby, ok? I'm taking you back to the TARDIS just as soon as I can get you free, but I've got to work fast. There's not much time.” He resumed pulling wires and leads off of her.

She stopped fighting on the word “TARDIS.” “How...?”

“I'm a friend of the Doctor's, that's all I can tell you.”

He heard a sudden shout outside the door and the doorknob rattled. Jack glanced over his shoulder to see the nurse tugging on the handle. She shot him a dark look and disappeared.

“Crap,” muttered Jack. “That's what I was afraid of.” He unfastened Riah's restraints as he heard the sound of lots of running feet in the hall. Jack flipped his vortex manipulator open and started entering coordinates as half a dozen faces appeared in the tiny window, most of them security guards. They were all shouting and banging on the door and one of them was pulling out a key card. “Hang on, Riah. This is going to feel really weird.” He grabbed up Riah's belonging and scooped her up into his arms. Jack couldn't resist giving the crowd a cheeky wave before activating the manipulator.

They manifested outside the TARDIS. Jack set Riah down and she slumped against the doors, breathing hard. Her head lolled around and she saw the familiar battered blue box. Her hand came up unsteadily to grip the sill of the ship. “Home.”

“Yep, and no place like it! Let's see now...TARDIS key, TARDIS key...” Jack rummaged through Riah's brown canvas satchel.

“Left...f-front...p-pocket.”

Jack found the key and shoved it into the lock. It turned and he heard the locking mechanism turn, but the doors refused to open. “Oh, come on!” he wailed in irritation. “I've just rescued the Doctor's companion. She's sick and needs help, so let me in!” He shoved at the door, but it still wouldn't budge. “Right, fine. You told me that you'd do this. Sorry, old girl.” Jack tapped at the manipulator, sending the override code. There was the distant sound of a thud and a clang and the door swung open.

He picked up Riah and stumbled into the control room. Jack blinked in shock at the cavernous room that looked like the illegitimate child of a Victorian parlor and a iron girder factory. “Hello! This must have been the Doctor's steampunk phase. I like it, much more colorful than all that coral.” He grinned down at Riah. “Where's your room?”

Riah raised a shaky arm and pointed towards a corridor in the corner. Jack dropped Rhia's belongings onto an overstuffed chair and followed the corridor until he spotted a bright red door. “That one,” Riah whispered. Jack opened the door and laid her down on the large bed before drawing the covers over her.

“I usually prefer taking women to bed under different circumstances, you know,” he joked and was relieved to see Rhia crack a small smile. “The Doctor will be back soon, don't you worry. You're safe now, Rhia, but I've got to go. You take care of that baby now.” He touched her cheek.

“Th...thanks.”

“Anytime.” He flashed her his best dashing grin and headed back to the control room. He stopped to look through Rhia's bag and found a beautiful orange-red and gold baby blanket inside. It was softer than any material he'd ever felt and Jack hated to have to take it. “Sorry, Rhia. But maintaining timelines and all that. Maybe you'll see this again someday.” Jack threw the blanket over his arm and left the TARDIS. A few taps on his manipulator sent him back to the present day only moments after he'd left.

Jack entered the ship and put the lab coat back in the wardrobe before heading to the lounge. He peeked around the open door and saw the Doctor still snoozing away on the sofa. Jack slipped the psychic paper back into the brown pinstripe jacket. He carefully folded the baby blanket and placed it under the tree. “Here's your Christmas present, Doctor...just a few centuries late,” he murmured before heading back to his room. Jack retrieved his coat and went to his own lodgings nearby, knowing his task was completed.

The Doctor woke an hour later. “Ruddy brandy,” he grumbled as he sat up and smacked his lips to bring some moisture back into his mouth. The glint of gold caught his eye and he stared at the tree for a long moment before walking over and picking up the baby blanket. The Doctor unfolded it and then rubbed it lightly against his cheek, reveling in the feeling of the soft material. Without saying a word, he went to Jack's quarters and peeked inside, but found them empty. He'd expected that. The Doctor went to the control room and started up the TARDIS' dematerialization sequence, but he glanced at the doors and smiled before saying, “Thanks, Captain. Mystery finally solved.”

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Four months and several centuries later, Mariah gave birth to a healthy baby boy. She named him Johnathan. Labor had kept her distracted so that she hadn't really noticed the shift change of the nursing staff while her son was born. A new nurse had arrived to take care of the squalling newborn and Riah realized the nurse was male. That seemed strange enough on a maternity ward, but she shrugged it off. She'd seen much stranger things in the six months she'd traveled with the Doctor.

The nurse turned around from the bassinet with John in his arms. He was tall and skinny with a crazy shock of brown hair. As he walked over to the bed, Riah saw that his deep brown eyes looked moist as if he'd been tearing up. That was ridiculous, though, wasn't it? Maternity nurses saw loads of babies born every day. “He's absolutely brilliant, Mariah,” the nurse said and handed the baby over to her with obvious reluctance. Mariah noticed his English accent and couldn't helping thinking this was one odd duck. An English male maternity nurse? Oh well.

“Thanks, uh...?”

“John. We share a name, we do. That little bloke and I.”

“He's named after someone I cared for a great deal.” Riah looked down at her son. He was wrapped in the standard blue-red-white hospital blanket, but it seemed too thick. She shifted the blanket and caught a glint of orange-red and gold. She blinked in disbelief and pulled the outer blanket off to reveal the blanket that the Doctor had bought for her on Plenitos. Riah shuddered at the mere thought of that world. She'd tried hard to forget that day as much as she could, with the exception of the blue-eyed stranger.

She looked up at the strange nurse in confusion. “Where did you get this?”

“A friend gave it to me.” The nurse's voice was soft. “You met him once, though you hardly remember him. But if it weren't for Captain Jack, then neither you or little John there would be here now.”

Rhia bit her lip and searched the nurse's antiquarian brown eyes. She saw so much sadness there, but there was also something unmistakeably familiar. “Doctor?”

The Doctor smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling up. “Hello, Riah.” He took her hand and touched the soft brown down on John's tiny head. “Seeing you again is the best belated Christmas present I've ever received.”


End file.
